Google offers secure Wi-Fi access

Google is introducing a solution to better secure Wi-Fi access at certain Wi-Fi locations in the San Francisco area. A Google engineer spent his 20% time coming up with the solution because fellow engineers discovered that most locations did not provide secure Wi-Fi access. Thus, the company now offers a beta application it calls Google Secure Access.

Google Secure Access works by encrypting Internet data and sending it back and forth through Google's VPN servers. The application is not supposed to cause any issues with corporate VPN solutions.

The beta application seems to have been designed only for Google's Wi-Fi locations. Google admits that Secure Access should work at other locations, but that other sites just have not been tested with the software yet.

Like most solutions offered by Google, Google Secure Access will be available for free. Of course, the application brings up privacy concerns since it runs all Internet access for a user through Google's servers. To satisfy privacy concerns, Google Secure Access's Privacy Policy explains what Google tracks and why:

Google may log some information from your web page requests … and a small set of non-personally identifiable information — such as routing information, session durations and operating system and Google Secure Access client version numbers … to understand how Google Secure Access is being used and to improve our services.

BRIAN'S OPINION
I commend Google for trying to come up with a solution to better protect Wi-Fi users. Most people have absolutely no idea how vulnerable they leave themselves by not encrypting their wireless data. Most home users buy a wireless router and simply connect it with no setup whatsoever. That practice offers a lot of people around the neighborhood free broadband access, but others may use the unsecure access as a means of stealing valuable private information from the user.

At the same time I commend Google, I must also say I am a little uncomfortable with the idea. Since people cannot secure their own Wi-Fi access, Google Secure Access users are literally putting all their faith in Google to protect their information. Since Google will have all the user's traffic going through its servers, Google will be able to track a lot of information regarding the user's surfing habits.

That may be a safer risk than continuing to connect over Wi-Fi with no secure access, but people should be aware of Google's privacy policy before they hand over the keys to their information.

Since some socialist poag has HIJACKED my name (Angry Rivethead, yes the original one) I have changed my name to… – by Commustomp

Google are taking over the world(9:32am EST Wed Sep 21 2005)If MS were getting into as many things as Google everyone would be saying how terrible it is, but why can Google do it with everyone saying its a good thing? – by Why hate MS

Google vs. Microsoft(10:21am EST Wed Sep 21 2005)My hubby is an avid Google fan. He's always looking forward to the newest Google update. He also is one of the Microsoft grumblers – he doesn't *hate* Microsoft, but he doesn't care for some of their stuff.

My take as to why: Google's stuff has always been user friendly, as much of Microsoft's… but Google doesn't force it on you, while Microsoft is a little more pushy with it's software. I'm still sick of booting up a new copy of XP and finding MSN wanting to set up an account.

Google's Text Ads have always been of awesome use, which I think was most people's first love of Google. Gmail is easy to use, effective, and I have no problems whatsoever with the 'invasiveness' of the text ads as they apply to my e-mails. Sometimes they bring up some pretty funny stuff.

This was kinda inevitable… especially with the hiring of their “Chief Internet Evangelist”.

We're kinda looking forward to a Google Operating System. I vote they name it Oogle, but that's just me. – by relientKitten

Why hate MS(12:21pm EST Wed Sep 21 2005)listen to the Kitten. It's all about business practice. While market share helps give MS their visibility, their practices lead people to dislike the company. Google does have the visibility, but elects to practice their business unlike MS – by M of T

So what do they use?(2:02pm EST Thu Sep 22 2005)JW, thanks for the interesting read. Google seems to have some very smart people.

Again so the article teased us, what cheap, easiliy configurable, and swappable hardware did they use?

Sun,

PowerPC,

Opeeron,

Xeon,

or aghhh Itanium – by Curious

The Google Operationg System(12:38am EST Fri Sep 23 2005)It should be called GOOS for Google Operating System

Give credits to – by allpromdresses

google(1:24am EST Thu Oct 06 2005)After seeing how many people have unsecure wireless applications. We need someone to lock our doors if we don't know how to lock them. Your average person doesn't know they even have a lock. – by Michaelangelo